The present invention is directed to a helmet made of foam and plastic segments interconnected by flexible fabric strips, and more particularly to a comfortable, attractive cap-type protective helmet particularly useful for bicyclists and which may be folded to function as a pouch for holding small objects and which may be attached about the waist or slung over the shoulder when not worn on the head of the bicyclist.
Protective helmets and other head gear have evolved over the years to protect the wearer while participating in various sports, such as bicycling, skating and the like. Most of these protective helmets are rigid helmets which are uncomfortable to wear, result in excessive perspiration about the head and are normally produced of non-absorbent material. Furthermore, such helmets, when removed from the head, are awkward to handle and are of an uncomfortable shape, making them difficult to carry about.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,173,970 in the name of the present Applicant and entitled "Combined Visored Cap-type Protective Helmet and Pouch for Bicyclists or the Like" provides a flexible, lightweight, foldable protective helmet for a bicyclist or the like. The helmet is comprised of a hollow, spherical fabric head shell including an outer fabric body and an integrated inner lining. Circumferentially spaced, generally radial fold lines emanate from the center of the head shell and join the outer fabric body to the inner lining and form circumferentially adjacent separate pockets. Soft protective pads are sized and shaped to the pockets and carried therein. Protective material may be hard styrofoam lined with a softer material. A visor is integrated to the head shell at a circular bottom edge thereof at the front of the helmet and projects outwardly of the helmet and extends rearwardly along opposite sides thereof. Aligned fold lines extending over both sides of the helmet facilitate folding of the helmet about the aligned transverse fold lines. The foldable front and rear halves of the head shell halves define an article carrying pouch therebetween. Latching means are provided for latching the front and rear halves together to maintain the folded visor internally of the pouch cavity as well as the articles placed therein. A pair of chin straps may be attached to the head shell at opposite sides and are detachably coupled to each other to maintain the helmet on the bicyclist. Additionally, the protective helmet may be provided with a belt and shoulder strap system of adjustable length for permitting the combined helmet and pouch to be employed in a pouch mode and suspended from the shoulder of the bicyclist or strapped about the waist of the bicyclist.